TT Match Preview – Macclesfield Town by Jordan Davies – @Silkmenarmy

Hi Jordan,

Top of the table, you must be happy with how the season is going (apart from last Saturday at Fylde!)?

Yes I was delighted with the season before the 0-0 with Solihull and 0-6 at Fylde. As ever we have a threadbare squad that John Askey has assembled but something clicked particularly away from home and we managed to nick enough wins in this tight league to sit top of the league. How long that lasts for we shall see.

What happened at AFC Fylde – just a bad day at the office or a worrying sign for the rest of the season?

At Fylde we were totally outclassed from start to finish. They’re a good side in great form who’ve spent a lot of money and they deserved their handsome victory. For mine Macc aren’t the best team in the division but should have enough to secure a playoff spot given we are still at the top of the table, but it’s very tight up there and 10+ teams will fancy their chances of promotion in this wide open National League.

Did you expect to be chasing promotion in 2017-18 and what have been the main ingredients for your success so far?

No to be honest I expected us to be nearer the foot of the table. The vultures came in the summer as ever and we had to rebuild practically a whole squad from scratch but they gelled quickly and sound defending allowed us to stay in games and the quality we possess higher up the pitch has led to many wins, typically by the odd goal.

Who are the key players that we should be looking out for on Saturday?

Elliott Durrell on the right wing is the most technically gifted player we have. If given time to put a cross in it normally picks out its target. Scott Wilson is an excellent finisher of chances and further back, as the chant goes ‘he’s magic you know, you’ll never get past Keith Lowe’.

Are you looking forward to seeing ex-Gull Nathan Blissett play?

Yes I’m hoping Blissett can bring another dimension to our play. We don’t have a typical target man or anyone particularly adept at holding the ball up and if he can do some of the ugly stuff and chip in with a few goals along the way then we should have a great signing on our hands.

Have you got the right man in charge and what tactics does he employ?

Sir John Askey as he’s known round here is without question the best judge of a player in this division. Season after season he finds gems that excel at Macc and then very often leave. Last January we sold winger Danny Rowe to Ipswich for example and swiftly brought in Rhys Browne who ended up scoring for us at Wembley and is now at Yeovil Town.

In the summer local rivals Tranmere, Chester and Wrexham took 5 players who had been offered contract extensions at Macc but yet again we found more than adequate replacements. In game SJA is not as tactically astute as some managers and certain decisions do raise eyebrows but he sees the players every day and we trust his judgements implicitly.

Are you ready for the step up to League Two, if it happens? Will you get sufficient backing from the owners?

To be honest we’d probably end up doing a similar sort of thing in League Two as we do now. And any season we came 22nd or higher would feel like winning the title. The owner has made it very clear he will only put in the bare minimum financially and will take any additional revenue from Cup runs or player sales for himself so it’s highly unlikely he’d put his hands in his pocket in any eventuality.

Top versus bottom, looks like only one likely outcome – any predictions for us?

I think this game will ride on the first 20 minutes. If we can score then we should secure a victory but if we don’t then we could very easily get frustrated and as in the last home game against Solihull Moors, draw a blank. In Torquay’s current position draws are no good so hopefully we’ll see a good game with two teams both playing for a win.

What’s your views on our current situation, if any?

I don’t really understand what’s gone on at Torquay. This is the third season in a row where you’ve looked likely to be relegated and barring two miracle escapes from Kevin Nicholson’s teams you would already be playing regional football. It looks like you’ve been playing with fire for a while and will probably get burnt. My advice would be learn to stay in games. If you can be in matches with 15-20 minutes to play then nicking a goal here or there could yield points but you are currently far too porous at the back.

And finally the big question – any suggestions of pubs for our fans to enjoy this Saturday?!

There are many pubs from the train station to the ground. We have a nice Wetherspoons called The Society Rooms which you’d find enjoyable and the aptly named ‘The Macc’ is normally full of fans on match days. Enjoy your visit to Cheshire but kindly leave without any points.

Thanks for talking to us Jordan, I think you would be more confident about your chances this weekend if you saw our last match! Anyway good luck for the rest of the season in your promotion push.